​One of the youngest stars in the World Cup is on the verge of reaching the tournament final.Spain faces France in the first semifinal on Tuesday, July 14, and it will feature Spanish sensation Lamine Yamal. The Barcelona winger has captured the attention of soccer fans around the world ever since he made his pro debut at just 15 years old, and he’s continued to ascend since then.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementIt’s been a solid World Cup debut for Yamal, scoring one goal in the group stage match against Saudi Arabia and continuing to make plays for La Roja. Now, he enters the World Cup semifinal as an older man, after just celebrating his birthday right before the match.1 / 5US forward #20 Folarin Balogun (C) celebrates with teammates after scoring his team’s third goal during the 2026 World Cup Group D football match between USA and Paraguay at the Los Angeles Stadium in Inglewood on June 12, 2026.(PATRICK T. FALLON, AFP via Getty Images)Yamal is now 19 years old.His birthday is July 13, 2007. He was able to celebrate it a bit a day before the semifinal, with the team gifting him a cake with winger Victor Muñoz, who just turned age 23. He told his teammates his birthday wish is “to all be together until the 19th” for the World Cup final.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement”I haven’t gotten that many gifts. I still have to see my family. But I’d give myself a win tomorrow and to be able to go to New York,” he told reporters on Monday, July 13.Yamal is currently the youngest player still left in the tournament. However, he wasn’t the youngest of all the players at the World Cup. Here are the youngest players at the 2026 tournament:Hugo Sochurek: Czechia (18)Hamza Abdelkarim: Egypt (18)Bara Sapoko Ndiaye: Senegal (18)Mladen Jurkas: Bosnia and Herzegovina (18)Kerim Alajbegovic: Bosnia and Herzegovina (18)Lamine Yamal: Spain (19)Appearances: 6Minutes: 405Goals: 1Shots: 15Shots on target: 10Assists: 0Passes: 156Pass accuracy: 82%Yamal made his sixth appearance at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the most by a player in a WC aged 18 or younger.This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How old is Lamine Yamal? Spain star celebrates birthday at World Cup